South Africa’s unemployment insurance claims benefits period for workers including that of domestic workers will be extended from the current period of six months to a year. Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant said this was one of the proposals to amend the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Act under consideration.
Oliphant also told the Domestic Workers Imbizo held today (2 November 2013) at the Mandela Park Stadium in Khayelitsha, Western Cape, that in the future, subject to legislative amendment approval, the benefits paid by the UIF will improve drastically.
She said currently, certain categories of workers are excluded; employees on learnership, workers who work less than 24 hours and public servants, “in future all these workers will be eligible for UIF coverage”.
“The proposed amendments also go further and will allow, for example an applicant who applied for UIF benefits four months after having lost a job to receive full benefits owed to them. Currently, it would mean that such an applicant would have lost four months in terms of the payment period,” Oliphant said. The Minister appealed to domestic workers to play an active role when the Department of Labour review the sectoral determination next year.
Sectoral determination is part of legislation that deals with the protection of workers in vulnerable sectors/areas of work. The sectoral determination sets minimum working hours, minimum wages, number of leave days and termination rules amongst others.
Oliphant said: “If you don’t make it your business to come to the hearings, employers push their viewpoint and you are left behind. In the final recommendations to the Minister, your voice will be sorely lacking and that is not correct.
“It is to your advantage to arm yourselves with knowledge of what the various pieces of legislation say or the rights contained therein. That is why I am placing the department at your service to conduct training and information sessions on the laws and the implications of certain clauses in your daily lives. It is only those who armed with knowledge who can best fight for their rights. Please use this opportunity”.
Oliphant disclosed at the Domestic Workers Imbizo that the UIF database indicates that there are 646 578 domestic employers and 657 908 domestic employees registered for UIF. In September 2013, alone the amounts paid for claims by UIF inclusive of this sector amounted to almost R600 million.
She said, despite these figures a huge number of employers and employees are still not compliant with the UIF. Oliphant said many people are still denied the social protection which was their right enshrined in the constitution.
The Imbizo was held to interact with the domestic workers on matters regarding claims for the unemployment insurance fund, discuss matters relating to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act in relation to working conditions and working hours. The Imbizo was also used to discuss a possibility of reviewing the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act to extend coverage to domestic workers.
Just last week Oliphant attended the Governing Body (GB) of the ILO’s meeting, in which the issue of domestic workers was one of the critical topics that the GB dealt with. The ILO noted that more needs to be done in many countries to protect domestic workers from untold abuse they suffer at the hands of their employers.
South Africa was cited as one of the ten member states that has ratified Convention 189 on domestic workers, said Oliphant that beyond ratification, more needs to be done.
“We need system that will ensure that workers in this sector are no longer abused. This is where each and every one of you. You need to organise yourselves into a collective and only then will you be able to have a stronger voice and make a difference,” she said.
As part of a commitment to address the plight of vulnerable workers, the Imbizo was told that a new Labour Centre to deal with labour problems is to be built in the “indigent” area of Khayelitsha.
The Domestic Workers Imbizo held at Khayelitsha is one of many, that are planned to be held by Department of Labour nationally.
For more information on the Domestic Worker Imbizo contact:
Labour Ministry’s
Musa Zondi
Cell: 082 901 8081
E-mail: musa.zondi@labour.gov.za
Candice van Reenen
Cell: 083 243 3353
E-mail: candice.vanreenen@labour.gov.za
